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The best new tech heading your way

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AIRPODS MAX 2

£499, apple.​com

Not content with thoroughly shaking up the laptop market with the MacBook Neo (see p74), Apple waited a couple of days after its launch to surprise us all with a genuinely unexpected (but just about due) sequel to the six-year-old AirPods Max. Much like progress in the in-ear AirPods range, this hasn't resulted in a radical visual overhaul – they retain the same brushed metallic finish and stretched-mesh headband that have made the Max so iconic.

So what's new? Primarily, it's the introduction of the H2 processor, a chip which itself is getting on in years having been first released with the AirPods Pro 2 in 2023. It may be older, but it's still Apple's prime wireless audio engine, and introduces a host of features to the new AirPods Max that bring them more inline with expectations of contemporary over-ear audio performance as well as adding features such as camera activation and live translation that weren't there before.

Would we swap a first-gen pair for this new version? It's debatable; the H1-powered originals are still great, and while the new features now push the AirPods Max towards a slightly more discerning and professional audience, they're features which the average pair of ears may not fully appreciate. If these are the first Max to hit your head, though? Like their predecessors, they'll absolutely be worth the high-end spend, in a heartbeat.

TRUE ADAPTATION

Adaptive audio doesn't stop at ANC volume; it can shrink super-loud sounds outside your ears, work out just how you like your audio volume and adjust it to fit whatever environment you're in, and a conversation awareness mode detects when you're talking and compensates to match.

BETTER CLARITY